Swan Lake
by Soldier of Passion
Summary: Inuyasha adaptation of Swan Lake. A Swan Princess meets Dog Lord. But an evil lord, Naraku, curses the princess. And who is this new incarnation of his? Why does she look like Princess Tsubame? Sesshomaru/OC picture is of Tsubame and Rin
1. Allegro non Troppo

**Lebedinoye Ozero  
>By: Soldier of Passion<strong>

An Inuyasha Fanfic: Sesshomaru/OC. Later on Inuyasha/Kagome, Miroku/Sango.

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><p><strong>Chapter One: Allegro non troppo <strong>

The child had been complaining mercilessly for hours, ranting that her feet would fall off it she had to walk any longer. Jaken, her lord's retainer, had yelled back, claiming that her whining would make his head explode if she continued. The lord, silently agreeing with his retainer, searched the surrounding area for his ward to sit and relax. Finally they had reached a clear spot next to a river, and the small party of four stopped.

"Rin," the lord called, and the small girl stopped what she was doing to give him her full attention, "You may rest here."

Rin grinned, "Thank you, Lord Sesshomaru!"

The lord, Sesshomaru, nodded, and watched as she found a spot under a large oak tree and closed her eyes. His vassal, Jaken, was muttering under his breathe, most likely complaining about having to stop for the small human. The large dragon that they were traveling with roared in exhaustion, and laid itself next to the sleeping girl. The lord stared, contented, and looked back out into the forest.

"Jaken," he spoke up, and the imp jumped, "I will be back later. Make sure Rin eats."

"Yes mi lord!" the green imp called, as his lord left. He sighed, looking at the sleeping girl and dragon and deciding that he, too, was tired. "Lord Sesshomaru won't be back for hours," he decided, "Nothing will happen if I close my eyes for little bit. And with that, the retainer fixed himself against the sleeping dragon, and went off into a deep slumber.

Rin awoke to her stomach grumbling, and she clutched it in hunger. She looked around her campsite to find her lord gone, and Jaken asleep. It was midday, and the forest glistened around her mysteriously, rain droplets falling off the tall trees and colorful roses that covered the flower bed. She smiled happily, running to the flowers and picking a few for herself and for her lord. Perhaps she would make them into flower necklaces, she thought, and grinned wildly.

Her stomach growled once more, and she remembered that she hadn't eaten all day. She looked at the small imp, snoozing peacefully against the large dragon demon under the shade. "I can't wake Master Jaken up," she thought, "That wouldn't be a very nice thing to do. I must get my own food!"

With confidence, she left her campsite to walk towards the nearby river that her lord showed her earlier. Sure, she wasn't as good as catching trout as Master Jaken was, but she could do it if she tried! She stumbled past the large bushes to the glistening, running river. The water was as clear as glass, tinted blue like the sky, and filled with colorful fish swimming around, oblivious to awaiting danger. The small child pulled back the orange sleeves of her kimono and lifted the skirt, wading into the water.

"Oh!" she cried, taken aback, "It's cold!" She hopped around the rushing water, trying to gain her footing. She grabbed the stick she had found in the woods and raised it above her. The sun beamed down hard on her forehead and she started to sweat, both from the heat and her own nerves. She could do this, she thought repeatedly, I can get my own food! I can be independent!

With force, she jabbed the stick in the cold water, splashing some on her own face. She spluttered and closed her eyes, continuing to stab the stick at random spots, whether it was near a fish or not. Finally, the fish seemed to have caught on that she was trying to spear them, and splashed against her small body. "Oof!" She staggered back and fell on her butt, and was surrounded by the freezing water.

A small giggle chimed, rather like bells tinkling in the breeze. Rin opened her brown eyes and searched wildly around for the owner of said voice, before gazing upon a fair figure on the opposite side of the river. The figure was, at the moment, kneeled upon the grass, and slapping slender feet in the rushing current. Rin's eyes widened at the beauty.

The figure was a woman, a demon woman to be precise, and she was smiling serenely at the soaked child. She had large eyes, perhaps to large, which were pale pink and seemed to glisten in the sun. Her skin, the fairest porcelain, was exposed and glowing under a starch white kimono that was short in the front, freeing her long legs, which at the moment dangled in the river, and long in the back. Raven black hair was tied in a bun, with small dark tendrils curling lose at the side. Fluffy, ivory feathers adorned the sides of her face, right where her ears should have been.

Rin glared slightly at the stranger, "Who…who are you?" she stuttered. The woman smiled once more, before lifting her feet out of the water and walking towards the child. The small girl shifted uncomfortably, aware that, while she was beautiful, she was still a demon, and could be dangerous.

The demon looked at the spear, and then down at the child, "Were you trying to catch a fish?" The girl nodded slowly. The woman's hand shot down in the water, faster than Rin could catch, and wrapped her claws tightly around a struggling fish. She looked down at the trout, which was struggling to breathe out of water, and pressed her claws further into its gills, putting it out of its misery. She handed it to the young girl.

"Here," she chimed once more. The young girl beamed happily at the fish, then back at the woman. "Thank you!" she exclaimed, and went to run along to camp. The demon's rose eyes glared into the forest though, staring at it thoughtfully. She heard a movement, and screamed for the girl to get out of the way. A large, dark serpent youkai hissed loudly and dived at the human child, whose lungs produced a terrible scream.

Rin covered her face with her arms, cowering as she felt the youkai's presence ascending down upon her, "This is it," she thought, "Lord Sesshomaru—"

All of a sudden she felt warmth around her, similar to being in the arms of one's mother or the presence of Buddah. She heard a loud hissing sound, as if the snake was in pain, and opened her eyes to see that she was surrounded in a glowing pink bubble, and the youkai trying to break through. Rin felt another presence behind her and the snake stopped hitting the barrier to glare at the figure.

"You cannot get her," the woman said, looking down at the human, "She is in my protection."

The youkai rustled against the forest floor and changed its prey in an instant. The woman smirked, and produced a golden bow from behind her back and aimed it at the creature. "Luckily for me, I don't have to waste much energy and take my true form on you since you are such lowly filth. A simple shot should suffice." And with that she shot the glistening arrow at the youkai and it exploded in a bright, white light.

Rin felt the warmth slowly leave her body as the barrier slowly dissipated. She looked up at the demon and ran to her, wrapping her small arms around her legs, "Thank you, pretty lady! Thank you so much for saving Rin-chan!"

The woman smiled slightly and unwrapped herself from the child's strong grip, and lowered herself to eye level, "You are most welcome, child." Her eyes scanned the area for other humans, "Where are your parents? Guardians?"

Rin grinned brightly, "Rin travels with Lord Sesshomaru!"

She nodded, "Is that your father?"

Rin laughed hysterically, as if that was the funniest thing she had ever heard, "No! Of course not! He's my guardian, and I'm his ward!"

She nodded, standing up and placing her hand protectively on Rin's shoulder, "I don't know this Lord Sesshomaru, but how about I accompany you and bring you back to your camp safely?" The girl nodded her head fiercely, her brown hair bobbing up and down wildly. She grinned toothlessly up at the demon.

"What's your name, pretty lady?" Rin asked, as she took the woman's hand and lead her back to her camp. The demon smiled, "My name is Tsubame."

"Tsubame," Rin tried out, deciding she liked the way that sounded, "What kind of demon are you?"

Tsubame glanced sideways at the child and smiled, looking up to the sky wistfully, "I'm a swan princess."

Rin gasped, "Wow!" she covered her hands over her mouth excitedly, "So what can you do?"

The woman was taken aback by the child's enthusiasm, "Well, Rin, swan demons are not known for our fighting or being powerful at all, unless in defense. We are healers. We protect the innocent and the good and do our best to heal the poor and the helpless."

"I thought all demons desired power?" the girl asked innocently. Tsubame shook her head.

"Not all."

Finally they reached their destination, and a small green imp ran up to the pair in anguish. He was sweating, and waving around a staff with the heads of a young woman and an old man on top. When he caught up he sighed, "Rin, you're alright! I was so worried, if anything happened to you Lord Sesshomaru would—" he stopped, finally noticing the woman with Rin and glaring distrustfully, "Who are you, wench! And why are you with Lord Sesshomaru's ward!" he looked towards Rin, "Why are you bringing along stange women!"

Rin laughed, "Master Jaken, this is Tsubame! She's my friend! She saved my life and got me this fish!" she exclaimed, handing the trout over to the imp. He looked at it suspiciously before setting it aside to be eaten later. Tsubame smiled, before crouching down once more to eye level with Rin. The imp muttered to himself about untrustworthy women.

"You're okay then, Rin?" she asked, "I'll leave you here?"

Rin gasped, before shaking her head, "Please Lady Tsubame, stay with us and have lunch! At least until Lord Sesshomaru returns?"

Tsubame shook her head, "I'm sorry Rin, I must be going myself. But perhaps fate will bring us together once more," she said, and pinched her cheek, "I shall miss you though, young one. I will not forget you." And with that she got up, leaving the girl and imp behind to travel once more in the dark forest. Rin ran after her, tears shining in the creases of her eyelids.

"And I'll never forget you!" she yelled, waving to her new friend.

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><p><strong>I think I'll end the chapter here. Not sure where this is going because its a lot different then my dreamsmusings now that I've wrote it down. But whatever, its somewhat similar. I'll have pictures of Tsubame, the swan demon, on my profile soon. If you are wondering what I imagine her as, sort of as a pink eyed Rei from Sailor Moon, but with fluffs on her ears (Think like in Black Swan, how Nina looked with the feathers on the sides of her face. Her main outfit will also look a lot like Nina's, and will be short and feathery). This is obviously a Sesshomaru/Tsubame pairing, though don't expect them to fall in love straight away and blah blah blah. Also, let me know is she is a Mary Sue. Personally, I don't think so. Mary Sue's are usually tom boys, wicked good at swords, feminists, hate when men treat them traditionally and stereotypically, blah blah blah. Tsubame is actually not like that at all. She is ultra feminine, not good at fighting at all, but healing, and all that jazz.**

**Please review and let me know what you think!**

**-Soldier of Passion **


	2. Allegro giusto

**Hey Readers!**

**I know this chapter is pretty short, but I decided I just wanted to update a shorter chapter sooner then a longer chapter slower. Figured this would hold your interest for the time being, lots of Sesshy! :) I don't know how I got the idea for this chapter, it just happened. I love Rin though, she's so cute and reminds me of my five year old cousin, so I'm sort of basing her off of her. And this is totally the type of thing I can see Rin doing.**

**Anyways, I hope you enjoy it, and I hope to post the next chapter sooner rather then later!**

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><p><strong>Chapter Two: Allegro giusto <strong>

Lord Sesshomaru returned later that evening, deciding that it would not be safe to leave Rin only in the company of Jaken and without any other protection. The first sound he had encountered was, as usual, Jaken's shrill voice yelling at Rin. This itself was nothing new, he was quite familiar with the love-hate relationship between his ward and retainer. However, what he saw when he came back to camp was quite different.

Rin, ignoring Jaken's hollering as she is used to, was playing with some of the dolls that he had bought for her while passing through a nearby village. She had screamed and begged for hours to let her have the dolls, and finally he gave in. "She's getting good at that," he thought to himself, glaring at the two humans dolls she was clutching in her small hands.

Jaken noticed his entrance and stumbled quickly over to him, "My lord, you've returned!" he cried, bowing repeatedly. He glanced back at Rin, his bug eyes shining with worry as she sang softly to herself. Lord Sesshomaru noticed that once she realized he was here her voice lower immediately, as if she did not want him to know what she was making her dolls say.

He rolled his eyes; as if a human child's doings could interest him.

He was, however, interested in knowing she was okay, "Rin," he said, and she stopped her mumbling to look at him and holler an enthusiastic "hai!", "Were you fed?"

"Yes mi lord!" she exclaimed, and he felt an urge to cover his ears with her loudness, "Rin has fish!"

He glanced at the trout and frowned, noticing a faint craw marks on its neck where the gills would be. "Did Jaken help catch that for you?" he asked, looking at it curiously.

She smiled gap toothed and began to say, "Of course n—"

"Of course, mi lord!" Jaken interrupted her, running towards him and bowing on his hands and knees once more. How pathetic.

They are lying, he thought, seeing Jaken's anxiety and Rin's blatant confusion. Alas, he didn't care much, as long as she wasn't hurt and she was fed in the end. He could hardly be bothered to have to find food for the child.

But he wasn't going to let the imp off that easily, "Jaken," he commanded, "prepare the fish for Rin." The imp muttered a yes, mi lord, before setting off to skin the fish. Cooking for Rin was his least favorite duty, Sesshomaru mused, and thought himself rather sadistic for making him do so. Rin went back to playing with her dolls, humming all the while and singing softly to herself. Sesshomaru looked on with mild interest.

"La, la la la la," she said softly, making the female doll dance with her tiny right fist. The doll in her left fist, a male human, was following behind the other once, "My lady!" she made the doll say, lowering her high pitch in an attempt to sound masculine. Sesshomaru hid a small smile. "You look beautiful this evening!"

"Not this nonsense again, Rin!" the imp called, walking towards the fire with the skinned trout. He laid it carefully on a nearby stone, and began to prod the fire in attempt to make it bigger. "You disgrace Lord Sesshomaru with your silly antics!"

Sesshomaru frowned, but said nothing, choosing instead to grab the staff of two heads and smack him upside the head with it. The imp fell over with an oomf but got the general idea of what he meant; leave the girl alone. He mumbled continuous apologies before going back to his work.

Rin seemed unfazed, however, "Oh my!" she exclaimed, raising her voice to a higher pitch in order to sound more ladylike. It reminded him of the squeak of a mouse. She made the female doll start to run away, with the male doll chasing after.

"I am sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you!" the male doll said. Rin twisted the girl's head in an attempt to make it look as if she was shaking her head.

"It's not that!" Rin mouthed for her, "It's just, you are a stranger, my lord! I do not know you!"

Rin laughed for the doll, "My Lady, my name is Lord Sesshomaru!"

Sesshomaru's eyebrows shot up. So the male doll was supposed to be himself? Hardly. First of all he would never say he was sorry for anything, much less because he frightened some foolish woman. He also never laughed, or at least haven't yet in front of Rin, so he wasn't sure where she got that from. Not to mention she gave him the ability to speak poetic endearments to a woman he had never met, which, while he was not a virgin to the ways of women, he was not one to whisper sweet nothings in woman's ears.

He could have laughed. And who was this woman supposed to be? Rin herself? Possibly, but he knew the child well enough that she didn't think highly enough of herself to call herself a lady. He wasn't sure what other women Rin knew…Kagura maybe? He doubted it. Inuyasha's wench? More likely, but there wasn't a third male doll in order to cause annoying commotion so he couldn't quite believe that.

"I am Lady Tsubame!" she chimed for the female doll.

Who? thought Sesshomaru, gazing at the child who was now making them dance together. He looked over at Jaken, who was gaping at Rin in shock, but too afraid of himself to say anything. He wondered who this Lady Tsubame was; perhaps it was an imaginary friend? Highly plausible: Rin was a young girl whose only friends were, beside himself if she had included him, Jaken and that young boy Naraku controls. She was very imaginative; it would only make sense if she created herself a friend, a woman in fact. Maybe she fashioned herself a female role model.

"Rin," he called, bringing her attention back to him. Currently she was making the two dolls kiss each other, "what are you doing?"

She smiled sheepishly, and hid the dolls behind her back, "I'm just playing, mi lord."

His gold eyes stared her down, yet she never wavered. Yes, she knew what she was doing was odd, but she didn't understand that making him pretend kiss a lady was impudent of her.

"Is Lady Tsubame an imaginary friend of yours?" he asked. She shook her head.

"Then who is she?"

Her eyes sparkled suddenly and she clasped her hands together, "Oh Lord Sesshomaru, she's so pretty!" she chimed, "She saved Rin from the snake youkai, and got Rin the fish! She's super strong and super nice, my lord!" she looked toward Jaken for assistance, "Isn't she pretty, Master Jaken?"

Jaken, who was currently seasoning the fish with herbs as it was soon to be done dropped some on the forest floor, and looked hesitantly at his lord, "Isn't who pretty Rin?"

Rin laughed, "Master Jaken, you're so silly! You know Lady Tsubame! Remember, you yelled at her to go away when she brought me back from the river!"

Sesshomaru smirked slightly; so that was what he was trying to hide from him. Of course, why Rin was alone at a river and able to be attacked by a snake youkai in the first place was entirely Jaken's fault. However, feeling like he had tortured Jaken enough by making him cook for Rin, he decided to spare the imp from any further humiliation or wrath.

Jaken looked as if he was about to vomit, explode, and cry all at once.

"Jaken, do not leave Rin to fend for herself when I am not here," he commanded, before looking back at the small girl who was gazing at her dinner longingly, "And don't talk to strange youkai any more, Rin."

She sighed, and mumbled a soft yes under her breath. Rin looked at her male and female dolls longingly, as they were smooched together on the ground when she let them go. She picked them up, and placed them on opposite sides of her. She stopped playing with them together after that night.

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><p><strong>Ahhhh, sadness! Poor Rin, she already wants them to be together so bad! She's got a bad case of the want-a-mommy fever. But I don't think Sesshomaru wants a woman JUST yet. Nah, he's too busy being arrogant and hot blooded to fall in love too easily! Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and have a great night!<strong>

**Love ya! -Soldier of Passion**


	3. Tempo di Valse

**Hey readers! Finally updated once more! This is because I have FINALLY finished my Crucible fanfic. If you like the Crucible, and think John Hale was hot, I suggest you read it. But now, here's the third chapter of this story, and I hope you enjoy it! FINALLY Sesshomaru and Tsubame meet.**

**Read and Review!**

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><p><strong>Chapter Three<strong>

Tsubame sighed, picking off her arrows from the dead youkai she had killed, seeing if there was any that she could still use. She had been away from her land for so long, that she was running low on money, and wanted to save whatever she had left.

Her father, Lord Hayato, had sent her off from their kingdom in the North after finding a small shard of the legendary Shikon jewel. It had appeared in the kingdom months ago, and had been nothing but trouble; the swan youkai had prided themselves on being peaceful and gentle creatures. However, the shard had brought many enemies into their land, and so her father had trusted the shard to his only daughter Tsubame. She was to hold onto the shard and protect it from the hands of evil and lesser youkai, and all the while find the rest of the shards and return them into the hands of a powerful priestess.

She was trusted not to use the shards, as they made even the purest youkai go mad and crazy with lust and power. And so the brilliant purple crystal was attached to a hook on a silver chain, so that she couldn't misplace it.

Tsubame grabbed an arrow and frowned, "It has got blood is all over it, I can't use this," she muttered to herself, and threw it back to the ground. With a frustrated moan she fell backwards to the hard ground, staring up at the sky in boredom. She had been wandering the forest of what she assumed was somewhere near the West for a while now, and she had found no more shards or whisper of one. She couldn't even remember the last friendly face she saw.

She laughed. Yes she could. She remembered bringing the human child back to her camp, and being shocked when she found a small kappa yelling at her obstinately for no good reason. The annoying thing kept bugging her that when his lord returned she would be sorry, and this and that.

She wondered what they were up to. She had seen the two headed dragon youkai and the expensive looking clothing that the girl and retainer wore, so the lord was obviously well off. Perhaps he knew where she could find a jewel shard. Or a nearby village.

"That's it," she said to herself, and raised herself off the dirty ground. Suddenly the wind charged swiftly around her, and grand white wings protruded from her back. They had long ivory feathers and they grew so large that it covered the entire width span of the opening of the forest she was in. She gave a slight hop, and found herself flying above the dark forest, waving in and out of the fluffy clouds. She smiled slightly at the beautiful day ahead of her.

At last she picked up the scent of the human girl, as well as the kappa and a strong male scent of a youkai with them. Tsubame couldn't help but feel aroused. It was a while since she last was in the company of a male youkai, especially one as powerful as this lord given the aura that surrounded him. So strong, it warned off lesser youkai from approaching, but it wouldn't warn off this one.

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><p>Sesshomaru frowned; there was that scent again. He thought he had lost it a couple days ago, but he has slowly noticed the scent creeping up from the south. He couldn't quite place it though, and had no desire to find it. While on their way to locate Naraku, Rin had taken a bad fall, and he had to bring her back to the Western Palace to get her fixed up. Now they were back on track, and finding Naraku was on the forefront of his mind.<p>

He sniffed and stopped in his tracks, narrowing his eyes. A rumble in the bushes caught his attention, and he could feel Rin and Jaken tense up behind him. A low grumble came from the bushes, and he put his hand on his Tokijin.

Two large dragon youkai hissed and sprang from the dark forest, and he jumped and slashed at the larger red one. However, the blue one was heading towards Rin, and Sesshomaru jumped to kill it in time. Before he could, a bright light flew past his eyes and embedded in the dragon's body, and it hissed and fell to the ground. He looked down at the dragon and found a single arrow in its scaly belly.

Rin gasped, "Lady Tsubame!" she shouted happily.

Sesshomaru glanced over to where the arrow came from to find a small youkai in a short kimono across the opening. She smiled and put her bow on her shoulder, and walked towards the trio.

He put his hand back on his sword and she stopped, raising an eyebrow and smirking. She raised her arms, "I come in peace," she laughed, chiming like bells. He stared at the youkai before him. Judging from the feathers she was obviously some form of bird youkai, although what type he couldn't tell. Sesshomaru was slightly taken aback by her beauty; long raven hair, pale skin, rose colored eyes. She was tiny compared to him, but he doubted that she was completely harmless. Her aura was strong, yet peaceful, and he didn't sense any hostility from the woman.

He narrowed his eyes, "Who are you?"

Rin laughed and jumped up and down excitedly. Tsubame silently wondered if she had a problem. "That's Lady Tsubame, the pretty lady who I was talking about Lord Sesshomaru!"

Tsubame smiled slightly, and looked shyly at the handsome demon lord. He wasn't exactly what she was expecting. She knew he was going to be strong, but being this close to him, his power was almost overwhelming. He looked at her coldly and she shifted uncomfortably, he obviously wanted nothing to do with her. He seemed appeased at Rin's explanation, however, and turned to walk away. She gasped.

"No, wait, please!" she called, and he turned slowly. She was desperate, that much was certain. He glared as she bit his lip, how annoying. And un-ladylike. "I am lost. I do not know this area very well. I was sent from the North by my father, Lord Hayato."

Lord Hayato, he mused. The swan lord of the Northern kingdom. From what he knew, the swan youkai were peaceful folks that spent their time healing and dancing instead of fighting and increasing their kingdom. The Western lands never had a problem or peep from these creatures, and while they weren't allies, they certainly weren't enemies.

He remembered asking his father once why they didn't attack the Northern lands and take them as their own. The inu youkai were stronger, and had much more soldiers and forces to attack with. His father told him that the creatures of the North despised suffering and bloodshed, and peaceful youkai like those did not deserve to be pushed around. So long as they remained peaceful, the Western kingdom would not invade. Sesshomaru also remembered that they had a common enemy, the panther demons, and that in times of trouble the swans and inu youkai would join forces and defeat the cats from the East.

It was then he noticed something off about her aura, and looked to see a shining purple jewel hanging from her neck, right above her perky round bosom. She peered down to what he was looking at and tensed, glaring at the male.

"So, Lord Hayato sent his daughter to fetch him jewel shards, did he?" Sesshomaru mused. Her eyebrows rose, taken aback.

"Of course not," she said, fingering the small shard, "He sent it away from our kingdom. We kept it there to protect it from lesser youkai and those who would use it for evil. However, it soon brought enemies into our country, and we have been defending it, but we cannot defend our kingdom any longer. So my father sent me to find a priestess to protect the shard, as well as find more shards and keep them out of evil hands."

Sesshomaru stared at the woman impressed. Like him, she was obviously immune to the shard's power and seduction. She was still tense though, and it highly amused him. This woman thought he desired the shard.

He decided to play with her a bit. Amused, he smirked down at her small form, "I am guessing you have had to defend the shard against many foes, haven't you?"

The woman glared and slowly stepped back, giving some space between the two, "Well yes. Mostly lesser youkai and a few greedy humans have tried to steal the shard for their own selfish use."

His grin widened and he stepped close to her once again, making both her and his retainer nervous. He could hear Jaken squawking behind him and faintly hear Rin giggling. "So you have yet to deal with any powerful youkai then."

He heard Tsubame hiss slightly, "I will defend the shard against any foe that steps in my way, from the weakest human to the strongest youkai."

"And if I wanted it?" he asked. She shivered under him slightly, but stood her ground and kept eye contact bravely.

"I would die defending it," she responded. His long fingers found their way to her neck and he fingered the jewel lightly. She kept her cool, however, as his golden irises peered down at the glistening purple shard.

Sesshomaru smiled slightly and let go of it, and he felt her relax a little, "Luckily for you, I have no interest in some jewel shard." He stepped back, and began to walk away. She stood there, confused behind him. He looked back, "The closest village is two miles east of here."

Tsubame nodded, and watched as the trio walked away from her, into the heart of the forest. Rin waved goodbye excitedly and Sesshomaru left without another word. She smiled fondly at the odd trio, the handsome yet cool youkai, his loud and obnoxious kappa, and a rambunctious human child.

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><p><strong>Hope you enjoyed it! <strong>

**Lots of Love! **

**-Soldier of Passion**


	4. Allegro Moderato

**Hey Readers!**

**So I finally updated once more! Told you I would. I just had finals and there was no possible way I could fit writing fanfiction in between that hell. NEVER take an Organizational Psychology class, unless you enjoy being bored to death. **

**So this chapter is kinda weird. I don't know, it's kind of messy and choppy but I just wanted to put something out there for you all. No Sesshomaru in this one guys, sorry, but you finally get introduced to the Inuyasha gang! Yay! You can also sort of see what part of the series I have Tsubame be introduced in (I think its episode 103?) **

**OH, I also wanted to mention one more thing. If you want updates sooner (and you don't mind paying $5 for it) my profile has my fiver website. It will explain it there, but basically I will update my fanfic sooner (within 4 days) and even let you have the chance to read it first and give me criticisms about it before I post it on fanfiction. Get your fav. fanfic up sooner and help a ridiculously poor college student pay her way through financial debt lol. **

**Thanks so much everyone for sticking around, and I hope you enjoy where this is going!**

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><p>Tsubame found the village easily, right where the arrogant dog lord said it would be. She bought her provisions; arrows, bathing oils, and enough food for another month. She bought a satchel to carry the goods in, and decided she should leave the village after a good night's rest at an inn. She was worried that they would begin to question the strange pink eyed girl that wandered into their village from the demon forest.<p>

The sound of clanging and clamping hooves brought her attention back from studying new kimonos to the road, and she found a small group of human soldiers. Their flags were raised and they stared on ahead tiredly. She raised her eyebrow and walked over to a group of farmers whispering to each other while staring at the border patrol men.

They glared at her, "What do you want wench?" the farmers asked suspiciously. She looked back at the soldiers and cocked her head in their direction.

"What happened with them?" she asked. They noticed her fingering an arrow and gasped.

"You!" the elder farmer shouted, "What are you? Are you a priestess?"

Tsubame laughed, "I am not, but I am a warrior from the North. Tell me, what happened to these men?"

"Most of the border patrol has been totally annihilated," the younger one explained, "No way a man could have done it. It was the phantoms of the band of seven. Rumor has it they've been resurrected."

Tsubame fingered her arrow, "What is the band of seven?"

"Ruthless mercenaries that found temporary employment in any battle they came across," he explained, "There were only seven, but their strength were incredible. They were savage, and sliced their foes to pieces and burned them alive!"

"How savage," she commented, "and these are human men that do this?"

But the older men were done talking to the strange girl from the forest, and she left without a polite goodbye from either of them. It didn't matter so much to her anyway. She continued browsing the area for various goods, buying new kimonos and small trinkets to bring back to her home. How she missed the North...the rest of the world seemed so savage and full of despair compared to where she grew up. If only the rest of the world live as simple and carefree as the swans…

She was brought out of her musing when she heard the faraway echo of a gunshot. Her feet were moving before she could even think, and as she got closer she noticed the presence of a jewel shard. As well as the scent of rotting flesh. Tsubame coughed, the scent of death being an overwhelming experience she was not used to. She could hear the screams of men in the distance and she picked up her pace, her bare feet scraping on top of the rocky terrain.

She found the source of the stench, the soldiers she had met passing by the village. Their corpses lay sprawled over the dirt, pooled in a sea of red. She thought she would gag from the sight, but at the sound of a chuckle glared up ahead.

A woman…no, wait, a man stood not so far from her, his large sword covered in what she assumed were the men's blood. The man was something different too…she couldn't smell correctly as the blood overpowered her nose, but she was sure he wasn't completely human.

He looked carefully at the demon, "Hmm, not whom I'm looking for," he said, "How disappointing. You wouldn't happen to know an Inuyasha would you? I'm looking for him."

The demon ignored him. "Who are you?" Tsubame demanded, bringing out her bow and notching an arrow straight for the man's heart, "And why did you kill these men?"

He laughed, and then grinned madly, "Why not?" he answered, smiling. His eyes drooped down to the necklace hanging off her delicate neck and they widened. "That's…the shikon jewel shard isn't it?"

She fingered it protectively, "Yes. And it doesn't belong to you."

The man didn't answer her, but looked behind her as if something was coming in the distance. She looked back to see a white haired demon clad in red running towards the pair, a bunch of humans following him. How strange, she wondered. The demon jumped towards them and stared in awe at the death surrounding them.

"What happened, do you see anything?" a voice yelled, and Tsubame saw a human girl riding an odd metal contraption towards them. The demon hissed, looking at the girl, "Don't come any closer!" A young monk followed the demon to the scene, staring at the dead bodies.

"Those were the warriors we spotted at the crossroads," the monk stated, then finally noticed the demon woman notching an arrow at the man. "Who are you?" he asked suspiciously, "Why are you here?"

Tsubame flinched, she hated monks. They always tried to purify her, and it always ended up being ridiculous as she would do a better job at purifying them! She swallowed, notching the arrow a little tighter, "I smelt the stench of human blood and I came running."

The girl on the ridiculous looking contraption gasped, "She has a sacred jewel shard! On the chain around her neck!"

The strange man finally spoke up, "Are you the one I'm searching for?" he asked, shading his eyes from the blistering sun to get a look at the white haired demon, "Are you Inuyasha?"

The demon, who she just noticed to have adorable dog ears sticking out of his head, growled angrily, "I never met you before, how do you know my name?"

The man continued to gawk, "You're…adorable!" he shrieked. Tsubame wrinkled her nose in distaste, looking back at the white haired demon that had a similar expression on his face.

"Just who are you and what are you after?" he called, "You don't smell like a living person, you reek like corpses and graveyard soil."

"So that's what that smell is…" Tsubame said softly. The monk looked at her oddly.

"Are you the disgusting specter that rose out of the grave?" he called at the man. The monk relayed the story of the group of mercenaries that she heard about earlier, the band of seven. The man just giggled at the monk, "Inuyasha is handsome, but you're pretty sexy yourself, monk."

It fell silent once more. "Um…wow." Tsubame couldn't believe this guy.

"Nobody minds if I suck this guy up right?" the monk said, annoyed. The demon shook his head, disturbed as well. Suck him up? Tsubame thought to herself. They sure were an interesting trio. The human girl cried, "No, wait; he has a sacred jewel shard too! Maybe he revived from the power of the shard!"

"Who gave you that jewel shard?" the demon asked. The sword in his claws began to glow, increasing in size and began to wield a strong demonic aura. Not that dissimilar to the one she encountered earlier, she thought to herself, remembering the handsome demon with the silver hair. Actually, they sort of looked similar…if not for those silly ears that this one had. You shouldn't be talking, she thought to herself, fingering her own feathers where ears would normally go.

They engaged in battle, the demon and the unearthly man. Tsubame watched as the demon named Inuyasha could barely block the attack, and carefully examined the sword. The sword was impressive; it could attack its opponent from many different angles with the simple twist of his wrist. Tsubame glared, annoyed that the battle wasn't getting anywhere.

"That is enough," she called, and notched an arrow to the man's sword. It hit it with a loud bang, and the sword quivered, falling back to the man's hands. He stared in shock.

"What…what did you do to my sword?" he cried. While he was so occupied with his broken sword, Inuyasha ran over and decked the man in the face. He glared at the strange man, who was currently rubbing his wound and glancing sadly at the demon.

"I'll ask you for the last time, did Naraku give you that jewel shard?" Inuyasha growled. The man continued to feign confusion.

"I'm not really sure," he wondered, scratching his chin, "I never met the man."

"Who is Naraku?" Tsubame asked, confused. Everyone just looked right back at her with confusion.

"And who the hell are you anyway?" Inuyasha asked her. She huffed and crossed her arms, annoyed.

"The woman who just saved your life!" she spat back. At that point, however, a black smoke began hurtling down the mountain at them, reeking of herbs and a poison that she wasn't used to. She coughed before surrounding herself in a barrier, a pink glow protecting her tiny form from the gas. The strange dressed man managed to make his escape, however, and ran away from the group who were currently coughing from the poisonous fumes. Tsubame frowned, she felt bad, but she didn't have enough energy in her to summon her barrier large enough to cover the entire group of them. They seemed alright, however…whatever the fumes were made out of it wasn't enough to do any actual damage.

"Are you going to be alright?" she asked awkwardly, and the group finally turned their attention back to the female demon. Inuyasha growled and reached for his sword once more.

"You!" he yelled, "Hand over the sacred jewel shard now!"

She frowned, "Not on your life, demon," she answered, "I have sworn to protect the jewel, no matter what the sacrifice. I will not let it go in hands where it may be abused."

The group seemed to falter a bit, however, and stared at the demon confused. The girl was the first one to recover. "You mean…you aren't using it for your own purposes? To make yourself stronger and more powerful?"

Tsubame growled, "Never. My father has sent me to protect the jewel, and I do not need such an item to make myself stronger. I am happy enough with what I am naturally capable of. I have been sent from the Northern lands to find a priestess to take this jewel and protect it."

They gawked at her for a bit once more, before the girl came to her senses and ran over excitedly, "That's what we are doing!" she explained happily, and the demon raised an eyebrow, "My name is Kagome, and this is Inuyasha, Miroku, Sango and Shippo. We've been searching for the Shikon jewel shards so I can purify them and put it back together."

Now Tsubame was confused, "You're a priestess?"

The girl shrugged, "Well I don't know, but I can see sacred jewel shards and sense their presence. I have the power to purify them, and since I was the one that started this whole mess…"

Inuyasha growled, "Kagome!"

She shrugged, "What, it's the truth. I need to take responsibility. And that is why I am looking for these shards. But an evil half-demon named Naraku has many of them, and is trying to obtain them all so he can have ultimate power and transform himself into a full-fledged demon."

Tsubame blinked, "Well…that's a lot to take in at once," she said to herself. She frowned at the sound of an annoying buzzing sound and looked up to find a giant demon wasp staring down at her. She ignored it, and toyed with the shard around her neck, "Where can I find this Naraku?" she asked. Inuyasha laughed.

"If we knew that he'd be dead in the ground by now!" he answered, "We're trying to find him but it's a lot harder than you'd think. He has this miasma that covers his aura and makes it almost impossible to locate him."

"How annoying," she said to herself. She sighed, picking up her satchel and putting her bow behind her back, "It seems as if I will not be returning home for a while. I will keep the shard with me, and return it to you once I have defeated this Naraku. Only then will I know it is completely safe. If I find any along my way I will also give them to you, Priestess Kagome."

"Why not just give it to us now," Inuyasha barked, "Or are you really just using it for your own gain and trying to trick us!"

The glared at the demon, "Do not insult me. Treachery and trickery is not my game. You have too many enemies; the shards are safer with me right now. Until this Naraku, who I assume as amassed a large amount of shards if he so willingly gives them away, is dead, I will follow my father's path for me and protect the jewel."

She smiled slightly, "However, do not be so worried. I am sure we will cross paths once more, and at least now you know that you have gained a friend."

Kagome smiled, "Thank you. But why don't you just join us? We could always use another hand, and since we are searching for the same thing anyways—"

"Maybe someday," the demon answered, "But now I have to go on my own. I have questions that need answering and I am not sure how long that will take. Go on without me, and good luck. May the gods be ever in your favor."

* * *

><p><strong>Yeah I know. The last line I sort of got from the Hunger Games. Trust me, this wasn't on purpose. I just watched it and it was in my head as I wrote this. Oops. Anyways I hope you enjoyed it and remember to review! I love them!<strong>

**-Soldier of Passion**


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